Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Emmanuel Macron, icon of a new “Express” bard of reformism – The World

Emmanuel Macron … This is a symbolic choice and assumed by the direction of Express for the first issue of its new formula launched on 9 March. On the cover, we see the minister of the economy in very close, with the title “What I want for 2017″ – written without quotes. “It is he who embodies most the spirit of reform in France today, with modernity,” says Christophe Barbier, director of the weekly acquired by Altice early 2015, the group of . Patrick Drahi telecom

of course, there is a precaution recalling the independence of the newspaper: “We will not make a president,” says Mr. Barbier while describing his desire to make Express a newspaper that greater commitment by giving his opinion and “demanding reforms to restore the competitiveness of France” . This is to break with “the age of the conso” Express of the war boom, centered on career desires and materialism of his readers White collar. And make a nod to “militant age ‘ of the first decade of the weekly founded in 1953 in support of the former Chairman Pierre Mendes France.

neither right nor left

the nearest contemporary heir to the spirit of “MFP” is Emmanuel Macron, according to the director of the Express . Which also quotes “Francois Fillon one that followed a liberal profound change” or “François Hollande spent since 2012 by Jean-Marc Ayrault Manuel Valls” . For “The reform of the obsession” advocated by Mr. Barbier is neither right nor left, a division dedicated to him by “crack” . This positioning is also an attempt to find a place to competitors newsmagazines, The Obs classified left and Le Point or Current Values ​​ classified right.

But what battles think Express by invoking the overused term, technocratic “reforms”? “Change is good” asserts Mr. Barbier, citing the Labour Code or genetic discoveries. It boasts a resolutely approach “optimistic” not “blissful” but opposite to the “principle of fatal precaution”: must be “faith in man, science and progress,” as well as economic liberalism. With an obvious corollary: “Stop french bashing” . And a motto: “freedom, modernity, integrity. “

Read also:” L’Express “: a socially downgraded

More concretely, The Express will commit for example the right to vote at 16, for a European federalism based on some settler nations, for a “secularism offensive” that helps religions to organize their worship or even surrogacy, if it is not “commercial” .

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Apart Macron’s champion, the new Express invokes other figures: the French successes Alain Ducasse, Cédric Villani, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio or Daft Punk … the apostle of positive economics Jacques Attali, the writer embarked on a citizen movement Alexandre Jardin or environmentalist companion journal and decision makers Nicolas Hulot … But also the candidate for the primary right Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet and Green sniper Dany Cohn -Bendit, gathered for a debate in the March 9 issue …

These figures paint a spirit, failing to embody new. To find lesser-known thinkers, the newspaper also announces the Express Foundation, under the patronage of Alexis de Tocqueville, liberalism thinker who wrote Democracy in America .

Make Emmanuel Macron the window of a stimulus editorial also paradoxical that “transgressor” the values ​​of the left has nothing original to “a” of a newspaper: media widely treat the activity of the minister at the time of the alleged speculation about his ambitions for 2017 and the controversy surrounding the labor law. The Obs (Le Monde) even just put “The Macron rocket” in coverage on 3 March. But “stab” has not shaken Mr Barbier, in which the rival weekly started his “one” due to leakage in terms of L’Express, and “without lifting maintenance” .

338,151 copies every week

the philosophy of the new formula the newspaper is finally interesting because it is the first since the acquisition of title by Patrick Drahi, billionaire cable and telecom, who built a media group in record time: Libération, L’Express-L Expansion, 01Net, BFM-TV, RMC … she will relaunching sufficient to halt the decline in paper sales, down from 16.6% in 2015 to 338 151 copies? Nobody believes it, although Mr Barbier said that these figures are due to “purification” subscriber files, traditionally recruited gift shots.

The Director log envisions a future where, in parallel subscriptions and kiosks, is the telecom operator Altice, SFR, which would provide Express economic stability: customers could subscribe so “invisible and painless,” as a service included in their premium package or as an optional extra. “We were possessed by a printer, Roularta group, we now belong to a group of telecom, it’s symbolic,” Fun Mr. Barbier, decidedly reformist.